Well there's "talk" of removing the filibuster because:1. BO and the Dems were elected & given mandate to fix things.2. GOP talking of same old tactics.- we'll see.3. We'll repeat Term 1 if they file as many filibusters as before.4. Something HAS to change - after all there WAS an election !!

Don't know if it'll happen- it's a pretty serious change but I wouldn't be surprised to see a compromise... i.e. keep filibuster but limited or after so long they vote !!GOP might make a deal cause if they don't then, they're done in the Senate !!

Well, I think we've had a couple threads here regarding the filibuster as it currently stands, and Rachel had a spot on this just a day or two ago.

In a nutshell: The filibuster was meant to be a risky, physically- and mentally-demanding, time-limited form of delaying legislation on the Senate floor.

Somehow* it has metastasized into a simple, consequence-free absolute veto power for the minority that can be used with impunity. Needless to say, this is a power never intended for the minority and imho is arguably unconstitutional.

So obviously I'm all for restoring the filibuster to the demanding and limited tactic it used to be.

* I still don't grok when and where this change happened, exactly. Up until this Congress I had assumed the filibuster to be in its former state and had been blaming the majority for simply caving at the threat of one. Apparently it's a hard-coded change, though, so apologies to the majority in this case =P

[edit]

Ah:

"In 1975, the Senate reduced the number of votes needed to invoke cloture to three-fifths (60) of Senate membership. At the same time, they made the filibuster "invisible" by requiring only that 41 Senators state that they intend to filibuster" -- About.com

Ah, give the guy a break, will ya. At least he admits what he doesn't know and asks for help. I didn't know what youtube was when it was first becoming a huge thing and you guys kept mentioning it, but someone here nicely filled me in.

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